Speeches by Secretary Elaine L. Chao

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Remarks Delivered by
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao
WOW Celebrating Diversity Event
Washington, D.C.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Thank you, Robert [Bard, President, Latina Style Magazine], for that warm introduction.

I am delighted to be here at this conference. Sharing best practices and effective strategies for improving diversity is important as America's changing demographics continue to reshape our workforce.

Our country is part of a worldwide economy that is growing more and more interconnected. In this environment, diversity is an asset. It gives our country an advantage in understanding and interacting with other cultures, so our workforce can compete more effectively.

Today, let me share with you an update on our nation's economy, how it compares with other countries and how workers can access the new opportunities being created. I would also like to share a little about what the Administration is doing to ensure that the doors of opportunity remain wide open for everyone.

Our nation's economy is growing and strong. Last Friday, the Labor Department announced the national unemployment rate for June held steady at 4.6 percent. That's more than a point lower than the average 5.7 percent unemployment rate of the 1990s!

Our economy is one of the most vibrant of all industrialized nations. It clocked in at an average annual growth rate of 3.5 percent in 2005. And it grew at a strong 5.6 percent annualized rate in the 1st quarter of 2006. Our economy has created 5.4 million net new jobs since August of 2003. Contrast this with Europe where job growth has been stagnant over the last 10 years. Or, for example, with Germany and France, which have persistent unemployment rates nearing 10 percent! In America, more people are working today than ever before.

This is due, in large measure, to our nation's ability to adapt and innovate. Our country is transitioning to a knowledge-based economy. This transition has created millions of new jobs in industries that did not even exist a generation ago. These industries provide high-value, high-paying jobs and demand highly educated and skilled workers to fill those jobs. And as our economy continues to advance, the demand for talent will continue to grow.

Nearly two-thirds of the estimated 18 million new jobs created in the next 10 years will be in occupations that require some advanced education. This can be a 4-year college degree, a 2-year degree from a community college or specialized training like an apprentice program. But completing some form of higher education is critical to building a solid, sustainable career path.

With this in mind, the Labor Department has launched many special initiatives to help traditionally underserved communities access the new opportunities in our growing economy. For example, the Department sponsors partnerships to help Hispanic workers develop greater English proficiency and workplace skills. The Department sponsored a leadership summit with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, to help the African American community learn about new opportunities in the high-growth sectors of our economy. And we have reached out to the Asian Pacific American community in many forums to make them aware of these growth opportunities, as well.

The Department also hosts an annual Opportunity Conference, which is free to all and provides a great way to network and access new opportunities. It is specifically designed with the Asian Pacific, Hispanic and African American communities in mind. The fourth annual conference will be in Philadelphia on October 17, 2006. You can learn more on www.opportunityconference.gov, or www.dol.gov.

The conference offers workshops on networking, communications and accessing government grant and contracting opportunities. This Administration wants to ensure minority businesses get a fair chance to secure government contracts.

For the first time in history, small businesses received a record-breaking $79.6 billion in federal prime contracts in 2005. This is $10 billion more than the year before. Contracting dollars awarded to women-owned small businesses increased to a record $10.5 billion, a 15 percent increase over the previous year.

The Department of Labor more than doubled its small disadvantaged business goal for 2005. And the Department exceeded its women-owned small business goal with more than $87 million in total contracts.

The latest Census Bureau report notes that the number of businesses owned by women has risen by 20 percent. Asian American business ownership has risen by 24 percent. Businesses owned by Hispanics have risen 31 percent. And African American business ownership has risen by 45 percent! That is real progress! And it's a tribute to the entrepreneurial opportunities that our country provides.

The Department of Labor is committed to ensuring that the doors of opportunity remain wide open for everyone. This commitment is demonstrated in the Department's vigorous enforcement of the nation's anti-discrimination laws. Last year, the Department recovered a record amount for workers who had been subjected to unlawful employment discrimination — more than $45 million. This reflects a 56 percent increase over what was collected just four years ago.

The Department has also developed new, clearer guidelines for electronic applicants — those who apply for jobs electronically over the Internet. And it has proposed better methodologies to examine compensation levels in order to strengthen worker protections. These will not only mean better enforcement, but will help employers to better understand their legal obligations.

We want to ensure that workers know their rights, and that they are fully and fairly compensated for their work. The Department has targeted enforcement of our nation's wage and hour laws on low-wage industries that often employ large numbers of vulnerable immigrants. As a result, the Department has recovered record back wages for immigrant workers.

As you know, many of these labor laws are very complex. So the Department has made a special effort to reach out to previously underserved communities who may not be familiar with them.

The Department sponsored the first-ever Hispanic Health and Safety Summit. Labor law materials have been translated into multiple languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean. And the Labor Department is reaching out to the rapidly growing number of African American small business owners by distributing labor law materials through Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

We have a President who has done so much to reach out to America's diverse communities. He knows that diversity makes our nation strong. And he does not hesitate to celebrate diversity by tapping Americans from all communities for high-level positions in his Administration.

Secretary Condoleezza Rice, for example, is the first African American woman to serve as Secretary of State. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is the first Hispanic in our nation's history to be appointed Attorney General. Carlos Gutierrez is the first Hispanic Secretary of Commerce. And, for the first time in America's history, two Asian Pacific Americans have served in the Cabinet.

And now, there is an opportunity to follow the President's lead and strengthen the diversity of the federal government's workforce. Over the next 10 years, about 60 percent of the career federal workforce will be eligible for retirement. The federal government will need to recruit and train an unprecedented number of skilled workers to replace those who will retire. There are more than 20,000 job opportunities listed on the federal employment Web site: www.USAJOBS.gov. We hope you will help us spread the word of the opportunities in the federal government.

So, let me close by thanking you, once again, for allowing me to be part of this event. And thank you for everything you are doing to celebrate our nation's diversity, which is one of our country's greatest strengths.

Best wishes for a successful and productive conference! God bless you all.

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